Pubs, their clubhouses and now PARTY BOATS: Outlaw bikie gangs lose their last safe haven as police ban them from hiring vessels
- Boat owners can access background checks if they think bikies made bookings
- Since over 50 clubhouses were shut, bikies rely on boats to hold their gatherings
- Restrictions have led to numerous members renouncing their gang membership
Police have vowed to stop bikies hiring party boats after they were banned from pubs and nearly all of their clubhouses were shut down.
As summer approaches and the crackdown intensifies, boat owners in NSW have been given the power to ask police for background checks if they suspect bookings are made by gang members, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Owners will now have the right to cancel the booking and police can forcibly remove bikies from the boats.
Police have enforced new strategies to prevent bikies from gathering on party boats (stock image)
Boat owners can now contact police for background checks if they suspect bookings are made by bikies (stock image)
According to Detective Chief Inspector Darren Beeche, since Strike Force Raptor shut down almost 60 clubhouses across New South Wales, bikies rely on party boats to hold their gatherings.
‘They can’t go to licensed premises so they’re looking for areas to congregate, to collude, to promote their internal workings,’ he said.
The ban can also include restaurants and bottleshops and applies even if bikies are not wearing their gang colours.
John Green, Australian Hotels Association director of liquor and policy, insisted the new measures do not breach anti-discrimination guidelines and said business owners are happy with the move.
According to Detective Chief Inspector Darren Beeche, since Strike Force Raptor shut down almost 60 clubhouses across New South Wales, bikies rely on party boats to hold their gatherings (stock image)
‘If they’re in a venue as a group, then they’re probably there to intimidate people or conduct other criminal activity. And if another outlaw motorcycle gang comes into the venue it’s primarily to start a conflict with gang members in the area,’ he said.
After a recent operation in Campbeltown in Sydney’s south-west, members signed statutory declarations to prove they have renounced their gang membership.
Now, parked Harley Davidsons have become a rare sight in nearby Camden, an area once notorious for its bikie population.
After a recent operation in Campbeltown, countless members signed statutory declarations to prove they have renounced their gang membership (stock image)